Clustering in nuclei at finite temperature

TL;DR

This study examines how clustering in certain nuclei diminishes with temperature, highlighting the role of pairing correlations in maintaining cluster structures until a critical temperature triggers their disappearance.

Contribution

It introduces a finite temperature Hartree-Bogoliubov approach with pairing to analyze clustering and localization in nuclei, revealing the impact of thermal fluctuations and pairing on cluster stability.

Findings

Clustering weakens and vanishes at the shape phase transition temperature.

Thermal fluctuations cause clustering features to disappear at lower temperatures.

Pairing correlations help preserve cluster structures up to the critical temperature.

Abstract

We investigate the localization and clustering features in $^{20}$Ne ($N=Z$) and neutron-rich $^{32}$Ne nuclei at zero and finite temperatures. The finite temperature Hartree-Bogoliubov theory is used with the relativistic density-dependent meson-nucleon coupling functional DD-ME2. It is shown that clustering features gradually weaken with increasing temperature and disappear when the shape phase transition occurs. Considering thermal fluctuations in the density profiles, the clustering features vanish at lower temperatures, compared to the case without thermal fluctuations. The effect of the pairing correlations on the nucleon localization and the formation of cluster structures are also studied at finite temperatures. Due to the inclusion of pairing in the calculations, cluster structures are preserved until the critical temperatures for the shape phase transition are reached. Above the critical temperature of the shape phase transition, the clustering features suddenly disappear, which differs from the results without pairing.